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True to the original

The Essence One MKII series improves on the superb Xonar Essence One series, winner of the 2012 CES Innovations Award and Japan’s prestigious VGP Awards in both 2012 and 2013. Essence engineers continuously improve sound quality, resulting in the Essence One MKII series with latest Direct-Stream Digital (DSD) support. With six state-of-the-art MUSES 01 op-amps, Essence One Mark II MUSES Edition takes audio to new levels, with profound musicality capturing every nuance.

Experience ultimate high-resolution sound

Native DSD support

Essence One MKII series DACs stay true to the source audio, with support for 2.8MHz DSD through DSD over pulse-code modulation (PCM), known as DoP. DSD 2.8MHz format delivers 64 times (64X) the sampling rate of traditional compact disc (CD) recordings for audio playback at a resolution that is orders of magnitude higher.

Exquisite headphone amplifier

Optimized for up to 600ohm-impedance and in-ear monitor(IEM) headphones with a dedicated gain jumper

The amplifier built in to the Essence One MKII DACs is engineered to drive both 600ohm-impedance headphones and 16ohm-impedance IEMs, thanks to the inclusion of a dedicated gain jumper for easy high/low gain settings. The result is an exquisite headphone amplifier that delivers remarkable listening experiences for all output preferences.

Ultra-fidelity 120dB signal-to-noise ratio (SNR)

True balanced design

Easy tonal tuning

Eleven swappable op-amps

The Essence One MKII features 11 swappable op-amps for easy tonal tuning. Op-Amps serve a critical role in audio hardware, amplifying analog signals and determining tone and timbre characteristics. As user taste in tone character varies, dedicated audiophiles often choose to change op-amps to fine-tune performance. This feature has been proved highly popular in most audio forums worldwide with previous Essence series products.[Visit op-amp swap guide]

Consistent and clean power supply

Linear power supply with toroidal transformer

The DACs are also equipped with a linear power supply with a toroidal transformer to provide clean and consistent power that keeps noise contamination to a minimum. German-made WIMA® FKP 2 and FKS 2 film capacitors reduce ripples to deliver warm, rich sounds.

Finest details from the original recording

8X symmetrical upsampling technology

The Essence One MKII DACs offer 8X upsampling to preserve the finest details of the original audio and improve the output quality still further. Essence One MKII DACs employ symmetrical upsampling to improve 44.1/88.2 /176.4kHz input sources to 352.8kHz@32Bit and 48/96/192kHz sources all the way up to 384kHz@32Bit, while eliminating the jitter associated with asymmetrical upsampling.

Premium sound from outstanding design

Asynchronous USB audio

Standard internal clock compensation for different transfer rates between PCs and USB audio devices may still cause jitter, but Essence MKII DACs automatically adjusts buffer status to system output. It enables faster clock tuning and better jitter reduction for the best fidelity.

Balanced XLR outputs

Balanced XLR outputs offer higher quality output without unwanted noise and interference. Properly balanced lines integrate two signal-carrying conductors of equal magnitude but opposite polarity, causing noise along the cable to cancel out by the time it reaches the destination load.